Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from the Royals!

Wednesday's Winning Words

I swear, after this week is over (and I get pictures from Shanon, *ahem*) I will do a post recapping Princess's birthday party.  But, for today, this will have to suffice.

Last night, we had soup for dinner and I am trying to use up plastic wear that we had left over from the party, so I pulled down the bag with the utensils from Saturday.  Delaney was standing there and as I pulled out the pink spoons, she pointed to them and started saying singing:

"Happy Day to Me!" 

"Happy Day to Me!" 

"Happy Day to Me!"

"Happy Day to Me!"

"Happy Day to Me!"

"Happy Day to Me!"

 

 

 

I guess she liked her party. 

She's TWO!!

Can this be real?

 

Can this child really already be TWO YEARS OLD?

 

We go to see the good Dr. H. tomorrow, so we will have official stats then.  You are still a bit on the petite side though, I think.  You are mostly wearing a size 6 shoe, although you can still wear some of your 5s. You  wear a 2T top (to fit around that belly!), but still need an 18-24 month bottom for the most part .  I bought you several winter wear items in a 2T, and I don't know when you will get to wear them.  My luck--you'll fit into them around March or April.  Yikes!

 

Your vocabulary is exploding, which is so much fun.  You love to parrot what we say (note to self--watch the language!), and most recently, you have started "HO HO HO"ing every time you see a Santa Clause.  Super cute.  You even added the "Meerrry Christmas" to it yesterday. 

 

It's a good thing your vocabulary is really coming along because, girl, those temper tantrums....already....just wow.  You get very upset.  And you get angry.  And you throw things and hit.  Hard.  You do a good job of fooling people with that precious face and those beautiful curls, but when you get mad...watch out!  Right now, the fits take the shape of throwing yourself on the floor face down or going to a wall and putting your face into it and crying.  We let you work it out and come around, but when we are doing something with you (changing clothes, diaper, picking you up to move), you really let loose.  In the vein of having fits, you seem to have a love/hate relationship with "No."  You love to say it, but hate to hear it.  Typical, but we must work on that.

 

Your eating habits have changed.  First, you have rejected your high chair completely, at least until we took the tray off and started pulling you up to the table like the rest of us.  You can live with it for now.  No worries, a booster seat literally in the mail and on its way.  You also don't seem to be interested in eating many of the foods you once loved.  This is a bit of a challenge because I never know what you are going to eat and what you aren't.  I can pretty much count on you eating blueberries, grapes, broccoli, cheese and pasta.  Everything else is just the luck of the draw.  I worry sometimes that you don't get enough to eat at a meal, but all evidence to the contrary.  I'm not sure why, but you have decided you want a grown up to put the food on the fork and then you would like to get the fork to your mouth.  If you don't have success with this, you go straight to using your hands again.   I don't know what is up with this process, but I hope you get it worked out soon because, frankly, I would like to eat too.  Bite for Delaney, Bite for Mommy gets tiresome. 

 

You are such a loving child (despite aforementioned tantrums), and I adore that you still let me rock you and snuggle with you so often.  I just can't get enough of all that preciousness.  My heart smiles (and also breaks a little) when I notice all your growth and how very much you want to do everything your big brother does.  I know in your head, you are certain you two are the same age.  You adore everything about him, except when he doesn't let you play with a certain toy you have your eye on or takes away the one you are playing with, even if just to "show" you something. 

You have an inner light that is so beautiful and felt by all around you.  You are more reserved than your brother and I (which will probably serve you well in the future), but still warm and friendly.  You are one very tough little girl! We joke that you are kind of the bull in the china closet of life because you approach everything with a bit of reckless charge, but we see that as a strength that wil serve you well as you are faced with the many challenges that life has to offer.  As a careful planner, it makes me nervous to think of parenting this trait, since it's so opposite of me, but we will figure it out together.  Delaney, when you came into this world two years ago, we could never have imagined how much you would bring to our lives, although we were quite excited to find out.  Children test the boundaries of our heart-- and, you my dear, make mine swell every day with love and happiness, beyond what I ever knew I had the capacity to have.  We are so blessed by you and honored that we were chosen to be your parents.  We love you more than you will ever know.

 

ONE DAY OLD

 

ONE YEAR OLD

TWO YEAR OLD

L.O.V.E.

 

Wednesday's Winning Words: Picket Fence

Picket Fence Teeth, that is.

 

That's right, the FIRST TOOTH!

 

Justus was so excited, and has been talking for days about this first tooth coming out.  It's been loose for some time.  The one right next to it is loose too, but that's only almost as exciting.  This morning (since I was gone last night), he tells me The Story of How it Happened.

 

Justus:  Mommy, I was at lunch and was eating my orange skin...

 

Me:  Wait, why were you eating the orange skin?  You know that's not to eat.

 

J:  Well, because I wanted my tooth to come out.

 

M:  Oh, ok.  So you've just been going around chewing on hard things the past couple of days in effort to get that tooth out {reflecting on the fact that I noticed he packed a fruit roll up for his snack on Monday}?

 

J:  Uh huh.  THEN, when it came out, I went to the nurses office and she put it in a special case, and took my picture for the tooth wall, and was really excited for me too! (Kudos to the school for making a big deal over lost teeth!)

 

It was precious how excited he was.  So, the picket fence teeth begin in the Royal household and we have one very excited little boy.  Thanks for the input on Tooth Fairy's current payout, Facebook friends!  Some of you have a VERY generous Tooth Fairy.  We settled on a note from the tooth fairy, sugar free chewing gum, and $5.  First tooth only, the rest will each earn $1 gold coin.

 

*  For those that can't see the picture enlarged, the note from the tooth fairy says:

"While you were sleeping, I came in the night.

Under your pillow was a marvelous sight.

Your very first tooth had come unstuck.

Keep it forever, it will bring you good luck."

 

Thank you, Pinterest.